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I felt compelled to write on this topic because I think it has become a huge problem. I am originally from the west coast of Canada but have spent the last three years living in one of the eastern provinces where in my opinion I feel that prescription meds are greatly over prescribed. The pharmaceutical of choice here seems to be Percocet. Percocet is a narcotic analgesic which is most commonly prescribed and used to treat moderate to severe pain. Acetaminophen and oxycodone (related to codeine)are the ingredients that make up Percocet.There are several other pharmaceuticals that should not be taken with Percocet. Acetaminophen can be toxic to a person's liver with as little as two drinks of alcohol. There are several possible side effects of Percocet, addiction is inevitable with prolonged use. Withdrawal symptoms will result if the drug is suddenly stopped. People who are younger than 18 years old and those that are older than 60 are more likely to experience side effects. It is not known if Percocet can cause harm to an unborn child and or if it passes into breast milk. People who have certain medical conditions/diseases should not take Percocet. Anyways that's the long of the short of it regarding this drug. I have several friends and coworkers that take it, some for migraines and others for back and other body aches and pains. Most of these people have admitted that they don't really need it but rather they enjoy it. They have told me that their physicians readily prescribe it to them. Some of these people sell their pills while others crush and snort or crush and inject their pills. One of these people give them to their young children if they have headaches or other aches, she has told me that she cuts the tabs in half and gives it to her 12 year old son. The next door neighbor's boys crush and snort them, one is 16 years old and the other is 18. I am fortunate in regards to the fact that our family doctor is not a pharmaceutical pusher and instead chooses to try and find the underlying reasons for aches and pains and non pharmaceutical ways of treating and fixing them. I am not bashing all pharmaceuticals because there are illnesses/diseases and severe types of pain that absolutely require them. My thoughts are as such that some physicians prescribe meds that are not needed and will not fix but instead mask underlying and possibly treatable medical conditions that could be otherwise managed and corrected through various non pharmaceutical treatments. I think in some cases it is much easier to get a patient in and out of the office with a prescription in hand rather than for a physician to take the time to properly diagnose and explore other treatment options. It appears that out here Percocet is the quick fix miracle drug that more than often is used more for recreation than it is medically. At times I often think that the only difference between a drug dealer on the streets and a doctor is that only one of them can push drugs legally while the other one without the license to do so is not.

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